book
Dynamic Administration: The Collected Papers of Mary Parker Follett
Follett, Mary Parker. Dynamic Administration: The Collected Papers of Mary Parker Follett. Edited by Henry C. Metcalf and L. Urwick. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1942.
Why this matters here
In Dynamic Administration, Follett’s “law of the situation” argues that orders should arise from joint study of what the situation requires—function, knowledge, and responsibility—rather than from rank alone. The World We Make Together cites that claim while noting the phrase’s limit: situations do not issue orders by themselves; someone still interprets evidence and holds authority. Follett depersonalizes command; the book asks how shared study can generate authority without pretending the situation speaks unaided.
